An Alphabet of Mr. Johnson’s Meeting Places, Part 2

As promised, Mr. Black has once again decided to help you out and present Part 2 of an Alphabet of places to meet Mr. Johnson, again inspired by such luminaries as Edward Gorey and Kenneth Hite. As a reminder, Mr. Johnson is usually looking for locations that provide discretion, safety, security, and anonymity. And Mr. Black is back to cheerfully explain why these locations provide the aforementioned qualities. He divided it into 2 parts, to avoid the dreaded Wall of Text. You’re welcome! You can find Part 1 below. Use these locations at your Crew’s peril…

N – Needle, Space, The. Ahh, the Seattle Space Needle. 185 meters of Meet and Swap. Decent security, combined with 152 meters of chokepoint in and out. Not much to do here but have meetings, eat dinner, and see Seattle. The Space Needle could be perfect for a Meet and Dine, or one of the worse double-cross locations of all time. I can see Mr. Johnson grabbing the MacGuffin, jumping off the observation balcony and then popping the chute he hid under his suit. Then letting the Crew know that his boys are waiting outside the elevator at the bottom. (Or if Mr. Johnson is right proper bastard, are aiming at the elevator with a RPG!) How many Crewmembers can the Mage levitate down? Can the Rigger use rotodrones to fly the Crew out? Or perhaps, as the Crew uses the elevator to leave, Mr. Johnson casually lets them know via commlink that there are enough explosives aboard wired to go off at 30 meters. Can the Crew defuse the bomb quick enough? And Goddess forbid your players have read this, they will never want to go to the Space Needle now, even with an aboveboard Mr. Johnson. Ahh, sweet, sweet paranoia…

O – Office Building. While the lobby could pass for a meeting place, we are really talking about floors going through renovation. Big open spaces with lots of plastic sheeting on the floor (is that for body disposal?), plastic sheeting on the furniture (is that for body disposal?), and sometimes plastic sheeting on the windows (is that for body disposal?). Unless of course Mr. Johnson needs a sniper or 2 as back up, in which case the windows will be free of plastic (that is for body disposal!). Expect to meet here during business hours if Mr. Johnson needs anonymity, and after hours if he has laid out fresh plastic sheeting and the GM needs darkness to emphasize the laser sight dots appearing on the Crew’s foreheads.

P – Parking Structure. A parking structure is an almost perfect place for a Meet or a Swap. Whether it is attached to a shopping center, commercial building, or is a free standing structure in downtown, a parking structure gives Mr. Johnson everything he needs. Seclusion, crowds for anonymity, a maze of vehicles to hide/take cover behind, and heaps of concrete stopping surveillance devices, Parking Structures offer a lot. Of course, the Parking Structure’s surveillance devices are still working, unless someone hacks them. They often have height restrictions, with all the floors above the first too low for Bulldog Step-Vans or Ares Roadmasters. Parking structures are really great for Swaps. Mr. Johnson meet with the Crew a few floors down from the roof, and then land a helicopter on the roof and fly off with his MacGuffin, keeping all that concrete between him and the Crew (and vice-versa!)

Q – Quilcene. A small town across the sound in Skokomish lands, Quilcene is an example of a location Mr. Johnson might pick to stay out of the prying eyes of UCAS agencies. Close to Seattle and accessible by road or boat via Puget Sound, Quilcene can provide the GM a chance to get their Crew out of Seattle and into a foreign country while still being close to home. Home to oyster farmers, Quilcene Bay itself may be a meeting place. Getting there is another thing. Can the Crew’s SINs hold up to crossing the border? And getting back? Will they need to smuggle themselves in, maybe amongst the oyster farmers? Or will they smuggle themselves in so they can carry all those wonderful toys they so love. And will they save room for pie when they pass through Duckabush?

R – Renraku Arcology. First, you should know in Mr. Black’s campaign that Renraku Arcology is still going strong. Mr. Black has Deus rising in Boston instead. Why? Because Mr. Black wanted Renraku to continue to have a strong presence in Seattle (and how can a GM pass up on an adversary called the Red Samurai?!?) And second, because the shopping center inside of the Arcology is such a fun place for a meeting. Fun for the GM anyways. The security is hellishly tight. Renraku has spent a lot of advertising revenue defining the center as a safe family space, and backs it up at the entry doors. Crews will need excellent SINs just to get in, and better leave all those wonderful weapons at home. Using a real SIN to get in? Better not be wanted by Renraku, or Knight Errant either. Renraku’s security officers (charmingly called the “PuSecOs”, they are smiling, friendly, helpful, lightly armed, and just waiting to call the Red Samurai for backup) will often pass info on the KE while it locks them in the scanning booth. It helps to keep the center safe, ensures KE will show up when called, and they generate a lot of bounty dollars for Renraku. But once you get in, you can count on your safety. And Mr. Johnson likes his safety. However one should watch for the many, many surveillance devices and tracking systems.

S – Sushi Restaurant. A Sushi Restaurant offers a GM a lot of fun. Mr. Johnson will choose a very nice one, one that offers real fish. Will the Crew try it? Real fish that is raw? Most of the Crew will have never eaten real food. Will a player who hates the idea of sushi cause a ruckus? In a very nice restaurant what sorts of comedy of manners shenanigans can the Crew get into? And what if Mr. Johnson offers up fugu? Is he trying to test the Crew? Or is he trying to poison the Crew? Trying to reward the Crew? All 3 at once?

T – Theatre. Whether it is showing sim-sense shows, opera or live performances, a Theatre can be a fantastic place for a Meet/Swap. A sim-sense/movie theatre benefits from crowds and darkness. Depending on where it is and the kind of movies it shows, it may be full of teeny-boppers or sleeping bums trying to stay warm. Think about the scene in The Departed where Frank Costello and Sgt. Costigan meet in the porno theatre. If you want to ramp up the Party’s discomfort levels, make it a theatre catering to whatever kink the Crew can’t handle. Between what is on the screen and what is going on in the seats all sorts of responses should kick in. Opera Theatres of course have those wonderful boxes where the rich and mighty sit. See again, The Departed. A GM could get some interesting shenanigans with the Crew getting the wrong box number and bribing ushers, flirting with High/Luxury lifestyle women, and sneaking around between acts. Or the stabby Sammie/Adept could have a fight on the balconies, ala Scaramouche. Ropes to swing from, heights to fall from and so, so much more. And any live stage comes with dressing rooms, prop rooms, costume storage rooms, and set dressing storage, all waiting for Mr. Johnson to set up a discrete meeting with the Crew. Or try the rafters, or under the stage during a performance, as in Sherlock Holmes 2, or between the backdrops for a claustrophobic meeting place. And if you want to amp up the danger, drop sandbags on them, have trap doors open underneath them, or just reenact the scene cut from Gangster Squad, where the heroes come through the screen, shooting Tommy guns. And if Batman Begins has taught us anything, the outside of an opera theatre is as dangerous as the inside…

U – Underpass. An Underpass in a less used part of town can be an excellent quick meeting point. Since they are on or near a street/freeway, it is easy to get in and easy to escape. A busy one can add all those rushing cars to the mix in case there is any action at the Meet. Mr. Johnson may prefer an Underpass as a meeting location to stay out of the prying eyes in the skies. And of course, Mr. Johnson and the Crew may run into something else in that Underpass, like the Fremont Troll…

V – VR Club. Ah the VR Club. Almost a classic. The Crew will need the proper equipment just to get in. And perhaps new Icons/Personas. And yes, those Persona Icons can tell a lot about a person. Are you really turning up to the Meet in your regular “Pink Bubble Tubby” Icon? Or your obscene bondage Persona you use at the Virtual Bunraku site you frequent during Downtime? Way to make an impression, gutterbunny. And this is just for AR. A true VR club may restrict the Meet to just the Hacker. Of course, that may be what Mr. Johnson wants. Heck, the Hacker may have to hack his way into the club; if he can’t make it, he certainly won’t be up to the Run Mr. Johnson has planned. So many options give the GM lot to play with. And maybe, just maybe, the Meet may be in Dante’s Inferno, down deep in the levels. Is the Crew ready for that?

W – Work Site. A work site shares many of the same qualities of an Office Space (q.v.). Except on the Work Site the entire building is undergoing renovation. Full of steel, still wet cement, and tall floors with no safety apparatus, a Work Site is a dream for a Mr. Johnson planning a double cross. Think about that scene in Casino Royale, with James Bond chasing the bomb maker, and then imagine your Party fighting on I-beams 6 stories up. Tempting, ain’t it? And what could be better than rewarding the player who chose 15 points of the Negative Quality in acrophobia that a gun fight way up there at night? Meets/Swaps could also take place at ground level in and around the work huts put up to protect the project managers. All those huts, work machines, stack of materials and spoil can be great for blocking line of sight, and all that steel should provide a lot of Noise for inhibiting surveillance devices. And perhaps Mr. Johnson works for the Union, or the OCO running the Union. This would give him lots of back up on site, and several people who could help him hide bodies if needed, like in the freshly poured cement foundation. Go back and look at the scenes in Rising Sun where the Yakuza confront the heroes in a Work Site and use it to scare your Party.

X – Exhibition Hall. An Exhibition Hall is a great meeting location. Whether it is Seattle’s yearly E-3 electronics show, a wine tasting, a job fair, or a temporary art exhibit. As a place to provide anonymity, security, and discretion, an Exhibition Hall may seem counter-intuitive. However, given the huge size stretching security thin, masses of people to blend in with, and potentially lots of different security forces from various different corporations, Exhibition Halls have lots to offer. And all those folks make facial recognition techniques work overtime. Depending on the exhibition that is taking place, it may just provide cover for the meeting, or Mr. Johnson may use it to show the Crew exactly what they need to Retrieve. “Steal that prototype commlink!” “Taste lovely doesn’t it? Steal me 6 cases of this wine and destroy the rest!” “See that executive? Grab her tonight!” “I want all of the DeGaucey photos on the walls. You have until the end of the exhibition to get them!” And just imagine starting a shootout at that job fair, you know the one attended by all of the Big Ten and many of the AA, A, and B corporations. A crew could become wanted by every major corporation in Seattle in one night!

Y – Yard, Rail. A Rail Yard is where all the rolling stock (all the cars-box cars, flat cars, etc.) is stored until needed. All those cars take up lots of room. And thus the Rail Yard provides fun and games by its seclusion, sheer area, and large boxcars to hide in and behind, and to fight around. The Crew will be far from their vehicles. All that track will make for dangerous footing, giving the Crew a negative modifier if a fight breaks out. Throw in the occasional train passing through and you will have one memorable fight on your hands. And even with no shootout, this vast modern forest of wood and iron, far from help, should kick your Party’s sense of paranoia and vulnerability into high gear.

Z – Zoological Gardens. There are many Zoological Gardens around Seattle. Beside the famous garden inside Fort Lewis proper, Seattle also boasts the UW Botanical Gardens, Volunteer Park, the Japanese Gardens, Kubota Garden, and many, many more. A Zoological Garden offers Mr. Johnson many of the things he desires when meeting the Crew. Depending on the garden there may be crowds to hide in, or deserted wooded paths to hide from the crowds. All those trees can mess with surveillance and surveillance devices. The gardens are one of the few spots in Seattle that are ideal for summoning Nature spirits (though to be honest there are literally hundreds of parks in Seattle.) And all that cover can hide Mr. Johnson’s response team, either for his protection or for the double-cross.  And visiting at night, at closing hours, only enhances everything while including running/hiding from park security forces. They may be poor rent-a-cops, or highly protective shamans of the Eagle Mentor or Druidic school.